Electrical spark special effect

mgreen

Well-known member

Donor 2012
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
1,473
Reaction score
45
Location
Idaho
Without having to buy a Tesla coil or a Jacobs ladder what can be used to create an electrical spark effect that would not eat up too much current. I want something better and more realistic than a plasma ball.
/\/\/\>:scared:
 
How about an old neon sign transformer? I've seen some pretty impressive arching displays made from one......
 
Sounds a little wierd but I was thinking of decking the arcade like an area 51 Roswell. I want to have a UFO crashed through the wall with wires exposed and sparking across one another. I would like to see at least a 3 inch spark? Failing this a strobe light on really slow and a sparking sound effect may have to do.
 
A monitor flyback can deliver a spark of that length. An added benefit is you can leave on the cup and it will look odd and "alien" to most people since they are only used to seeing straight wires.

Are you planning to surround this with glass and a grounding plane in order to prevent injury and unwanted discharge?
 
Definately will be grounded and protected from someone touching it.
 
Sounds a little wierd but I was thinking of decking the arcade like an area 51 Roswell. I want to have a UFO crashed through the wall with wires exposed and sparking across one another. I would like to see at least a 3 inch spark? Failing this a strobe light on really slow and a sparking sound effect may have to do.

To spark across a 3" gap in air you're going to need a pretty scary voltage... > 200 kV. A mini Jacob's Ladder could be made to create a similar effect (and you could pull it off with ~10 kV).
 
Failing this a strobe light on really slow and a sparking sound effect may have to do.
In a dark room, with the stobe hidden behind some wreckage, throw in a flickering black light, a couple puffs from a smoke machine, ad in a speaker with a electrical arching sound effect you'd have a pretty sweet wreck....
I don't think a REAL high voltage arch is the way to go....
One wrong move and it could be lights out.
 
Thanks guys I'll go with the strobe light. Appreciate your comments.
 
Find a large used neon transformer. A wooden block to screw it all to. Take a couple pieces of 10ga or larger solid bare copper about 12" long. screw them about a inch apart spread them out about 4" at the top. Screw one wire to one lead of the transformer and the other to the other lead. Plug it in and watch. The spark will start at the bottom and travel up until it can't make the jump. Be careful it will catch anything in the gap on fire and will shock the shit out of you. I use a 22000 volt transformer cool to watch. But please don't leave it unattended.
 
Find a large used neon transformer. A wooden block to screw it all to. Take a couple pieces of 10ga or larger solid bare copper about 12" long. screw them about a inch apart spread them out about 4" at the top. Screw one wire to one lead of the transformer and the other to the other lead. Plug it in and watch. The spark will start at the bottom and travel up until it can't make the jump. Be careful it will catch anything in the gap on fire and will shock the shit out of you. I use a 22000 volt transformer cool to watch. But please don't leave it unattended.

bad-idea.jpeg


(Does sound pretty cool, though...)
 
Find a large used neon transformer. A wooden block to screw it all to. Take a couple pieces of 10ga or larger solid bare copper about 12" long. screw them about a inch apart spread them out about 4" at the top. Screw one wire to one lead of the transformer and the other to the other lead. Plug it in and watch. The spark will start at the bottom and travel up until it can't make the jump. Be careful it will catch anything in the gap on fire and will shock the shit out of you. I use a 22000 volt transformer cool to watch. But please don't leave it unattended.

They call it a Jacob's Ladder, and I think he already passed on the idea. :)
 
They call it a Jacob's Ladder, and I think he already passed on the idea. :)

I didn't figure the op cared what it's called or what makes the spark travel up the ladder, how to make it go farther. I gave a very basic plan on how to make one in ten mins. To see if that would serve his purpose not to show what I knew in the electrical field.
 
If you must have the electric arc, I'd mod a stun gun. Otherwise, yeah... a strobe or some sort of lighting effect would be much safer.

DogP
 
Hey, I've got a shitty Rodo Tron monitor in the shop. Everytime power is applied, a nice flame jumps out of the center of the chassis. I know it's not a "spark", but it is a nice flame.....think Bic lighter, with the flame adjustment turned all the way up on high. I'll give you a deal on it!:D All you have to do is figure out how to toggle the power on and off....don't wanna start an actual fire!

Edward
 
Back
Top Bottom